Pages

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Situated in
Johannesburg, opposite the University of Johannesburg Auckland Park Bunting
Road Campus (location of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture and the
Hotel School), is Liebermann Pottery.

The space and the ceramics is synonymous with Adiraan Turgel, an
enthusiastic and determined entrepreneur, with a passion for ceramics.
Established in 1952 by Sammy Liebermann and inspired by the Bernard Leach,
Shoji Hamada tradition. For many years, it produced a wide variety of handmade
cottage tableware, even supplying restaurant-chains across the country (Mikes
Kitchens and Spurs).

Sales Office.

Variety of Liebermann pottery

Spiritual corner.

The space and
place is constantly transformed by the pottery detective himself, its look and
feel formed and shaped by ceramic imports; new arrivals in all shapes and
sizes, mainly from Asian countries. China and Vietnam to be more specific.
Garden pots, tableware, fine bone china, sculptural ceramic ornaments and even traditional
politically charged Chinese memorabilia (propagandist) are for sale here at reasonable prices.

This pottery offers the largest collection of asian pots in the country and includes the biggest
collection of bonsai pots on the continent.

Every little space, inside and
outside of this historic landmark, the Gasworks, is packed with ceramics. Many an
architectural student at Wits and at UJ has had to apply their design skills in
an attempt to find creative solutions to better utilize this space.

However the
present utilization of the space, home to a vast number of ceramic products of
various oriental styles including Liebermann's pottery itself, is a feast for the eyes.

The stacking of the pots ‘en masse’
creates a unique visual experience; the closest one would ever get here in Jozi, to a Chinese
Pottery on the continent of Africa.

It is in close
proximity to the now well-established shopping precinct of Stanley 44. Little courtyards and alleys in a reconstructed
industrial space create interesting revamped and configured interior spaces for
fine restaurants, shops, a gallery titled Art on Paper and a fabulous bakery. This is as local and intimate as it gets,
for a truly authentic shopping experience. Lofts occupied by trendy residents make
this location one of our most successful contemporary style shopping and cultural
precincts in the city – in line with contemporary consumer expectations for a
value adding experience. Value for money is served with a local and
sophisticated flavour, creating a stylish and vibrant atmosphere. The smell of
freshly roasted coffee (Beanthere) permeates the air from a distance, whilst the
allure of fresh bread Vovotelo Bakery, makes this a thirst-quenching watering hole for the
discerning shopper. The trees have now grown to a desirable height and the few
fountains with churning waters makes it a very special place indeed – Mill
park’s oasis.

The designs for the jewellery pieces are
progressing well. I have completed the colour drawings for the ring design showcased in a previous post. Step
by step preparatory ballpoint pen drawings, featured on previous blog posts with the label Jewellery Designs (follow link). I refined the design by
addressing the use of colour to enhance symmetry (to be enameled).

For the past two weeks however, I have focused my attention on new designs, rendered in preparatory ballpoint pen
drawings showcased here. I have had to reduce the scale of the drawings to
address design preferences and styling to scale.

I have also extended my
product range, opting to include neck pieces, cuff links and more rings. This has
been a very exciting journey for me, as I am responsible for teaching drawings
in the Jewellery Department. I have spent long hours honing my drawing style,
especially rendering skills for jewellery design and manufacture.

I have also tried to render and capture the
forms and shapes of pearls, as they feature strongly in the mythology of the
five-clawed dragon. The dragon chasing a pearl ringed with flames, is at the
centre of the inspiration for my ceramic installation with projected animation,
titled and the ship sails on (image on the left). Although it does not feature in the work at
all, I have decided to incorporate pearls in the jewellery pieces for the
following reasons.

To this end I have referenced an incredible book/catalogue titled Pearls. The book serves
as a catalogue to an exhibition, also with the title Pearls, curated by the
Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The exhibition ran from January – June 2010. The
author of the book was Dr Hubert Bari and David Lam.

The Islamic Art Museum Qatar Doha, Architect IM Pei.

It is an extensive
publication that documents the formation of pearls, its history, their cultivation and finally a
tribute to the first lady of pearls, Mademoiselle Chanel. The book also
showcases historically significant and archetypal jewellery pieces as well as contemporary designs that are breathtaking in their beauty and design (image below). The post title image a fine example, arguably the most stunning jewellery piece featuring pearls ever designed.

Firstly, I have to address its importance
and significance to the Chinese culture and in particular its symbolic
association with the dragon. Next year
being the Year of the dragon and as mentioned on previous blog posts the theme
of my exhibition in January 2012.The pearl represents a principal of life and
embodies revitalization. Many sources do however question the fact whether the
round forms and shapes in early artifacts does originate from the pearl itself or
its association with the moon. It does not really matter, what is important are their symbolic meaning and significance. Both emblems embody fertilization and
regeneration. The dragon pursuing a pearl is synonymous with the moon cycle - the
iridescent sphere moving through the night sky. When caught and swallowed by the dragon, it
exemplifies the rare occurrences of an eclipse. Hence the Chinese fascination
with pearls, its cultivation and incorporation in body adornment.

Secondly, is the association of pearls with
the fashion icon Coco Chanel (1883 -1971)? Her pearls were her most adorned and
coveted possessions. She was apparently infatuated with their simple and yet
lustrous and iridescent qualities. She would not be seen without them. She was
however less concerned with the value of the pearls than their striking
lustrous simplicity. She even wore fake pearls.

Go and look for my pearls. I am not going
up to the ateliers until I have them round my neck, for I insist on being a
credit to my girls.

Title image: Ceramic installation with projected animation titled, and the ship sails on. In celebration of the Chinese year of the dragon. Follow link to view video on You Tube.EUGENE HŐN : CERAMIC ARTISTThe purpose of this blog is to inform you of the creative thinking behind my ceramic statements.I will therefore provide reference material to facilitate greater interaction with you in the development of ceramic concepts. The expressed views and posted comments are intended to illustrate how the ceramic statements act as a vehicle for an expanding discourseon relevant art, design and craft issues.

About Me

I am a ceramic artist with a passion for drawing. My ceramic statements are a creative response to the literary sources I choose to read. I am also an academic, recently appointed Director of the FADA Gallery at the University of Johannesburg. I am an artist that celebrates the handmade, with strong concepts and meaning that straddles the disciplines of ceramics, sculpture, drawing, artist’s books, digital printing, animation, video or digital projection Installation and ultimately design.